Comcast Fancast expands broadband services

Technology

Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Photo: William Thomas Cain, Getty Images

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PHILADELPHIA DECEMBER 3: The Comcast Center, which is Comcast Corporate headquarters, is seen December 3, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Comcast Corp. announced December 3, that it will acquire a majority stake in NBC Universal Inc., paying GE 6.5 billion dollars. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) less

PHILADELPHIA DECEMBER 3: The Comcast Center, which is Comcast Corporate headquarters, is seen December 3, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Comcast Corp. announced December 3, that it will acquire a majority ... more

Photo: William Thomas Cain, Getty Images

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The Comcast logo is displayed on a TV set in North Andover, Mass. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. Comcast Corp., the nation's biggest cable TV systems operator, posted a 53 percent increase in second-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by higher prices and increased customer spending on video and Internet services. But subscriber growth markedly slowed as the recession's grip remained tight. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) less

The Comcast logo is displayed on a TV set in North Andover, Mass. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. Comcast Corp., the nation's biggest cable TV systems operator, posted a 53 percent increase in second-quarter profit on ... more

Photo: Elise Amendola, AP

Comcast Fancast expands broadband services

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Comcast on Tuesday introduced an on-demand service that allows cable TV and broadband subscribers to enjoy many programs from a PC outside the home.

Fancast Xfinity TV gives subscribers free access to 2,000 hours of TV shows and movies from 27 networks, including HBO, TNT, TBS, Discovery, Food Network, History Channel and E. Subscribers can get programming on up to three PCs that have been authenticated by Comcast.

In addition to giving viewers more flexibility, the service is a defensive move. Comcast hopes to persuade customers not to pull the plug on their subscriptions.

For consumers looking to go cable-free, there are online TV sites like Hulu and YouTube, while streaming video services like Netflix give customers access to thousands of movies and TV shows for a small monthly fee.

Download services like Apple's iTunes, along with illegal sites online, are also broadening the alternatives for viewers.

"For the cable industry, this is an acknowledgement that the models that have worked for several decades - charging subscriptions and also making ad revenue - that model is at the breaking point," said Kurt Scherf, an analyst with Parks & Associates.

"So they're releasing content outside of one set-top box and priming the pump for new models."

This month, Comcast agreed to a multibillion-dollar deal to take over NBC Universal. The deal, if approved by regulators, would give Comcast control of a major source of entertainment and the means to deliver it to customers, whether over the air, by cable or through the Internet.

Comcast's new service has notable exceptions to its lineup, including ESPN, CNN, Fox News and MTV. The amount of programming and the timing of its availability will also vary by network, with some content available within an hour of airing and other shows delayed by a day or longer. And some networks will be programming a full load of commercials.

Xfinity TV will complement Comcast's other online TV service Fancast.com, which offers about 12,000 hours of mostly broadcast video content.

"This new service brings consumers many movies and TV shows that have never been available online before," said Matt Bond, executive vice president of content acquisition.

Like many of its cable brethren, Comcast is pursuing the goal of providing television everywhere. The cable giant is also looking at making its on-demand content tied to the set-top box available online and is looking at bringing Xfinity TV to mobile devices next year.

Free Press, a nonpartisan media reform organization, criticized the rollout of Xfinity TV, saying it will only continue the cable industry's grip on content available only through paid services.

Bobby Tulsiani, an analyst with Forrester Research, said the move to TV everywhere allows cable companies to make cable content available online without killing the existing partnership between networks and distributors like Comcast who pay for the rights to air their shows.

"If you want to preserve the paid TV model, this is the best method to allow cable content to move online," he said.

The service will later be extended to those with only a TV subscription.

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